Job seeking can often be a lonely and frustrating business, but if you organise yourself properly, define what your preferences are and what goals you would like to achieve, then, it can make the job searching process more enjoyable. Whether you're looking for a job or a change of career, the approach should be similar and there are certain things that should be in place before you start on your path to finding suitable employment. Too often people jump straight into sending out their resume for every job under the sun. This approach is not just wrong but can be a total waste of time. Preparation is key to job seeking and those that prepare properly ultimately come out ahead. Job Preparation and Research Before you even begin to start thinking about applying for jobs, ensure that your professional resume is up to date and that your cover letter is targeted towards the jobs and industry you are applying for. Focus your resume on highlighting achievements and the value added skills that you can bring to the organisation. Remember that demand for jobs is ultra-competitive and when potential hiring managers may receive in excess of 500 resumes for one position, your resume needs to be perfect in order to stand out from the crowd. Once your resume and cover letter are ready to go, you need to decide exactly what type of work you want to do and where your skills are best suited. This will make the job search process more straightforward. Focus your job search There are many different tactics you can implement to search for jobs. Don't get stuck into only applying for online jobs because they are easy to apply for. Create profiles on different networking sites such as LinkedIn. A LinkedIn profile is a fantastic way to attract recruiters and potential head hunters. You can also use networking sites to find job vacancies, network with hiring managers and meet other job seekers who are in the same shoes as you. Remain Positive and Focused Job seeking is not easy and can often take a long period of time. Rather than sitting at home waiting for the phone to ring, utilise this time to learn a new skill. (Have you ever wanted to learn a new language?) Perform community service or even just try to improve your health. The more you focus on the negative the more depressed and stressed you will become. Set out a certain amount of time every day to job search and spend the other time in the day doing something else. Having a common sense approach to your job searching will make it easier in finding suitable employment. Adopting a flexible approach, a willingness for work and a good attitude will give you more leverage and help in your quest of finding the ideal job.

#1: The smartest person always gets the job Definitely not true - companies these days are more interested in the complete worker. Having brains is always an advantage, but it's not the only thing that hiring managers are looking for. In today's economy, an employer wants to know that, if required, you are able to complete a wide range of jobs. Having transferrable skills, a can do attitude and a willingness to learn and be involved in all aspects of the business is key to nailing the job interview. #2: Direct experience is most important Transferable skills are key. In certain industries the job specification may require direct experience, but in many circumstances being able to show that you have the skills to succeed is just as important. Do not get discouraged if you feel that you lack the right skills to get a new job. Concentrate on the value added skills that you have and highlight these skills on your resume and in the job interview. #3: Dating a co-worker will lead to career doom An urban myth. I have even heard of stories where dating the boss has resulted in career success (not recommended!). Always remember to perform your role to the highest quality and it does not matter who you decide to date! (Note - public displays of affection are a big no no! - this type of behaviour is best saved for non-work hours). #4: Applying for jobs online is the only way to find a new job Job searching online is one of many different approaches you should take. Before you even begin to apply for jobs, ensure that you have a professionally written resume. No matter how many jobs you apply for, it doesn't matter if your resume is not selling your skills. With the growth of social networking online, sites such as LinkedIn can be a fantastic way to approach people who you typically could not just pick up the phone and call. #5: Writing a cover letter is a waste of time Every time you apply for a job you should accompany your resume with a targeted cover letter. The only exception is when the job specification clearly states not to send a cover letter. Most times a hiring manager will read your cover letter before opening your resume. If your cover letter does not shine, there is a good chance your resume won't even be opened. You may have the greatest resume written by a professional resume writer, but it means nothing if your cover letter is letting you down.

Preparing for a job interview is tough work. You rehearse answers to common questions, decide on what clothing to wear and ensure you have done an adequate amount of research into the company. But what about the colour of your clothing - does this matter? Is wearing a white shirt with a blue tie going to help you get the job over wearing a blue shirt with a black tie? Studies have shown that the colours you decide to wear in an interview can actually make a difference. In the competitive world we live in you need to ensure that you take every advantage you possibly can. Different colours evoke different emotions and it is imperative when you're interviewing that you evoke the right emotions from the interviewer. Examples Blue: Words that describe the colour blue include: trust, loyalty, wisdom, peaceful. These are exactly the type of feelings you want to be portraying in your interview. Blue is a calming colour (Think Ocean and sky) and sends out a signal to the interviewer that you are indeed honest and sincere. Studies have shown that wearing the colour blue to an interview will increase your chances of getting hired more than any other colour. Red: In contrast to the colour blue, the colour red stirs emotions more than any other colour. Red is a strong colour, very emotional, an extreme colour that in an interview scenario can work against you. Unlike blue which has a calming effect, the colour red is a fiery colour (the colour of love and passion), and can be an intimidating colour for the interviewer. Orange: Similar to red. A colour that stirs emotion and therefore a colour I would avoid wearing in a job interview. Although orange is not seen to be as an aggressive as the colour red, it is still perceived as a colour that can evoke feelings of power and aggression. Grey: My second favourite colour to wear after blue. Grey gives the look of sophistication and authority. In a corporate environment the colour grey is professional and portrays an individual as being confident without being intimidating. Purple: The colour of "Royalty". The colour symbolizes power, aristocracy, lavishness, and extravagance. Black: Be careful when wearing just black to an interview. The colour black is seen as a power colour and can be viewed as threatening. Wearing black outfits can portray an individual as being powerful or even arrogant. Black is also associated with negative implications such as death, sin, and fear. Just remember that first impressions count a lot when you go to interview. Know your audience and dress accordingly.

A true story… A candidate was applying for a job that he felt was probably beyond him in terms of experience and skills, however he figured he'd apply and "hope for the best". The job application asked for a resume and personally written cover letter to be submitted to the hiring manager. When the candidate went to send the resume and cover letter he decided that instead of writing the generic "To whom it may concern" on the top of his letter, he would call up the company and find out the name of the hiring manager. Thus, he began his letter with "Dear Mr. xxxx" As insignificant as this seems, the candidate ended up getting the job. Years later this young man became the right hand man to the hiring manager who had now become the CEO of the firm. When the hiring manager was asked why he had originally employed the boy he said, "He was not the strongest academically or experienced candidate, but he was the only person out of 100 candidates who had taken the time and effort to find out my name…" Although gaining employment is subject to many unpredictable factors that are far beyond your control (such as employer perceptions, competition and personal choice), there are countless factors that are controllable that you may be doing wrong. Remember, your resume only has 10 seconds to make an impact. When the hiring manager has 100 resumes on his or her desk and needs to pick the top 5, all it takes is the simplest error for your resume to be deleted. My advice is this: If you're going to spend time applying for jobs then DO IT PROPERLY. You are not going to get an interview by sending out a resume that is written or formatted incorrectly. By doing just the smallest things correctly you will find that success is just around the corner. Is your resume full of clichés? Do you use words such as "hardworking", "loyal worker" or "enthusiastic"? Do you send out the exact same resume for every job? If the answer is yes, then you need to take greater effort to differentiate your resume and make it stand out from the crowd. Include your achievements with examples. Don't just write "I am a hardworking individual" as this does not inspire. Rather, explain to the reader why you are a hardworking individual. If you're not inspired by your resume then why is a hiring manager going to be inspired? Your resume is your selling tool. Take a look at it. Are you proud of how it reads? Does it sell your strengths, skills and accomplishments? In this tough economic climate you need to go the extra length to get an interview. Find below 15 reasons why you may be missing out on getting that interview • Generic resume • Resumes that do not inspire • Clichéd resume • Your resume does not use key words • Your resume is formatted incorrectly • Your resume is not targeted • You don't use a cover letter • Your cover letter is boring/generic/clichéd • Your resume and cover letter are too embellished • Your job search is restricted to the Internet/Google/Yahoo • You are only seeking out the perfect job (Is there such a thing?) • Spelling mistakes / bad grammar • Lack of professionalism • No follow up • Unqualified / Overqualified (you need to be realistic)

Some job advertisements ask you to include your desired salary, and if they ask for this, it usually means that you can't avoid doing so. Listing salary requirements is always tricky because it's hard to "guess" what the employer will think about your preference. Asking for too much can rule out your chances right away because you might appear unrealistic, but asking for too little can signal a red flag and tell the hiring manager that you don't value your skills and experience. So the question is - what do you say? My advice is to always include a range because you give yourself a little bit of breathing room. A range not only eliminates you from this potential scrutiny, but it could also tell the hiring manager that you need a little more information before you give them a definite answer. In other words, you leave yourself some option, and you also put yourself in a good position to negotiate. Chances are that full details of the job haven't already been provided, so if you make it to the interview and hear more about the job's requirements, you can then argue why you are qualified to receive the higher end of your salary range. So how do you determine this range? Try to search for similar positions and what they offer in terms of salary. Look up job search websites and try to ballpark a range that most of the positions fit into, and then use this range when you're writing your cover letter. The range you include is entirely dependent on what you find, but I would probably suggest not making it any larger than $10,000 - it may be too general otherwise. All in all, it's always best to keep your options open.